Runaway Bay Texas History:
Early area settlers included Col. William H. Hunt and his family who in 1855 built a cabin in what is now the center of Lake Bridgeport. Runaway Bay was established as a recreational lake community after Lake Bridgeport was impounded in 1932. The town incorporated in the 1980s. Runaway Bay is located on the southern shore of Lake Bridgeport on U.S. 380/ SH 114, 59 miles northwest of Fort Worth, 41.8 miles northwest of Axle and Eagle Mountain Lake, 45 miles northeast of Mineral Wells, 46.4 miles northeast of Graham, 18.8 miles southeast of Jacksboro, 34 miles southeast of Bowie, 19 miles southwest of Decatur, 46 miles west of Denton, 13.4 miles southwest of Chico, 9.3 miles southwest of Bridgeport, and 49 miles northwest of Lake Grapevine and Trophy Club, Texas.

Annual 4th Fest, Late June or Early July:
Activities include the Runaway Bay Volunteer Fire Department Firecracker Scramble golf tournament at The Club at Runaway Bay, a golf cart parade, a cake raffle, a fire department raffle, a karaoke stage, children’s entertainment, food vendors, prizes and games, and fireworks at dusk. (940) 575-4745.

Annual Bridgeport PRCA Rodeo and Butterfield Stage Days, Mid-May:
The rodeo event is held at the Bridgeport Riding Club Arena. Activities include bareback riding, saddle Bronc riding, steer roping, tie-down roping, bull riding, barrel racing, team roping and steer wrestling. The Stage Days event is held at Harwood Park at 707 Hovey Street, from 9am-5pm; activities include vendors, live entertainment, a carnival and the annual Bridgeport Idol Contest. (940) 683-2076.

Truckin’ Blues Dairy:
Tami Shepard has a small herd of Nubian dairy goats. The goats are not given antibiotics, steroids or hormones. If you are interested in obtaining raw goat milk you pay purchase a portion of a herd. Tami sells raw honey. (940) 210-8280. The dairy is located approximately 12 miles south of Bridgeport. Email

Herd’s Hamburgers, 1916, Jacksboro, TX:
They serve absolutely excellent hamburgers at this popular must visit restaurant. They only serve hamburgers, chips and a drink. Watch carefully for this place; it is small and easily missed. Open Monday-Saturday from 10:30am-10pm. Expect an hour wait on Friday and Saturday. They do not have a telephone. 400 N. Main Street. From the courthouse, take the road towards Wichita Falls; it is not far; it is located across the street from a church. Reviews

Whistle Stop Café, Decatur, TX:
This café has been featured in several news articles, including the December 2008 issue of Texas Monthly as one of the best small town cafes in Texas. It serves wonderful breakfasts and delicious comfort foods such as chicken fried steak and homemade pies, including Pecan. The café is housed in the former 1829 Texas Café stone building, adjacent to the historic Petrified Wood Gas Station. The restaurant is very small so arrive early in order to be seated. Open Mon-Fri, 6am-2pm; Sat, 7am-10:30am; closed Sunday. (940) 627-7785. The restaurant is located at 904 S. Business U.S. 287. Reviews